Welcome to Storybrooke
Welcome to Storybrooke Episode Number: Season 2, Episode 17 Directed By: David M. Barrett Air Date: March 17, 2013 Previous Episode: The Miller's Daughter Next Episode Selfless, Brave, and True "Welcome to Storybrooke" is the 17th episode of Season 2 of the American ABC fairytale/drama television series Once Upon a Time, and the show's 39th episode overall. It aired on March 17, 2013. It was co-written by Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss, and was directed by David M. Barrett. This episode centers around Regina as she tries to get revenge on Mary Margaret, while flashbacks show Regina's past with Greg Mendell. Plot 'Opening Sequence' A tree falls on Kurt's truck in the forest. 'In the Character's Past' In 1983, Kurt Flynn and his young son Owen are camping in the Maine woods and Kurt gives Owen a lanyard he made as a child. Then the Dark Curse, which they perceive as a storm, strikes and damages Kurt's truck. They plan to hike to find help, but soon discover that the town of Storybrooke has appeared in a wilderness area through which they recently drove; Sheriff Graham welcomes them to town. Regina is delighted to discover that her plan has succeeded. She revels in the townspeople's mundane and repetitive lives; every day, Regina wakes in bed with Graham, Mr. Gold limps along the sidewalk, Marco repairs the sign over his shop, Granny and Ruby argue, Dr. Hopper walks Pongo, and Mary Margaret volunteers at the hospital where she does not recognize the comatose David Nolan. Regina is displeased that the Flynns are present, and hastens the repair of the truck so they can return home to New Jersey. However, Regina quickly becomes bored as the days pass, and it made her realize that everyone's obedience is not real. She confronts Mr. Gold about her displeasure but leaves his shop unsatisfied as he seems to not know what she is talking about. She invites Kurt and Owen to dine at her home that evening. There, Regina learns that Kurt's wife died six months earlier and Owen is no longer happy at home. She shares that she, too, wanted a fresh start but that it hasn't been meaningful as she has no one with whom to share it. Owen tells Regina she'd make a good mother. She invites them to relocate to Storybrooke and Owen is enthusiastic about the idea, but Kurt insists that their life is in New Jersey. The next day, Regina learns the Flynns are leaving. She uses Graham's heart to order him to arrest Kurt and abduct Owen for her. Kurt witnesses this and escapes Regina's office, but Regina and Graham cut off the Flynns' escape from town after a car chase. Kurt orders Owen to run as far as he can, which he does while Graham arrests Kurt. Regina tells Owen she just wants him to stay with her, but he refuses under these circumstances; she apologizes and he runs. Owen returns with police officers, but Storybrooke is no longer evident. Owen vows never to stop looking for his father, while Regina weeps as she reaches out to him from inside Storybrooke. 'Storybrooke' As Regina prepares to bury Cora, Gold comes to pay his respects as Cora has a place in his heart. Regina intends to kill Snow White, but Gold points out that would cost her Henry; he tells her she can't have everything, but she vows to have both Henry and vengeance. Mary Margaret is near-catatonic and refusing to eat. In light of Emma Swan's lies about Neal, Henry demands to know the real reason for her condition. Emma reveals that Mary Margaret had a role in Cora's death, but Henry doesn't believe Snow White would hurt someone. Gold arrives to warn them that Regina plans to kill Mary Margaret, and David demands that Gold save her as repayment for Mary Margaret saving his life. A distraught Regina ransacks her mother's belongings until she finds a small scroll. Gold and David later investigate the vault and Gold determines that Regina has taken the ingredients for "the Curse of the Empty-Hearted." He explains to Mary Margaret's family that this spell makes its victim believe they love somebody, and that the final ingredient is the heart of the person the caster hates most—Mary Margaret. Henry realizes Regina plans to use the curse on him, and Gold explains that Regina will get everything she wants by killing Mary Margaret to compel Henry's love. Gold refuses to intervene further and advises them to kill Regina, at which point Henry denounces them and runs off with Emma in pursuit. She brings him to the diner where Neal is waiting. Neal asks Henry to go with him to New York where he'll be safe from the curse. Henry would rather work to eliminate magic from Storybrooke, but he agrees to Neal's plan for the time being. Greg buys a sandwich to take on a hike, and he tells Emma that he hasn't left town yet because he's enjoying his time there. Emma and Neal then realize that Henry's quick agreement was a ruse; he has given them the slip. Regina breaks into Mary Margaret's apartment, but Gold stops her from attacking. Regina leaves after warning Mary Margaret that Gold can't watch her forever. Henry literally runs into Greg in the woods, and Greg contacts Regina about the boy's whereabouts. With David, Emma, and Neal in tow, Ruby tracks Henry; they discover he took dynamite from the mine, and Neal believes he plans to use it to destroy magic. At the wishing well, Regina interrupts Henry before he can light the dynamite. He explains that he wants to get rid of magic because it's ruining everything. Regina magically eliminates the dynamite and tells Henry that he means too much to her for her to lose him; he asks her to prove it by not casting the curse. She insists that the imitation of love created by the curse will make them happy, but he refuses her offer, his response echoing Owen's in 1983. Emma, Neal, and David arrive; a battle seems imminent until Henry steps between them and demands that they help him destroy magic because of what it has done to everyone. Regina explains that what he's asking is impossible, but she destroys the curse scroll. Henry thanks her, but leaves with the others. Gold receives a call from David and updates Mary Margaret. She asks how he can live with his own misdeeds, and he explains that he convinces himself he has done the right thing. Mary Margaret goes to Regina's house and tearfully begs Regina to kill her. Despite acknowledging that Henry would never forgive her, she takes Mary Margaret's heart. Upon discovering that it now contains a spot of darkness, she restores it to Mary Margaret rather than putting her out of her misery; she declares that Mary Margaret will destroy herself and her family, and Regina will have everything after all. Hidden nearby, Greg has captured video of the incident. He promises to find his father and is revealed to possess Kurt Flynn's lanyard; Greg is Owen Flynn. Cast Starring *Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard *Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan *Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills *Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan/Prince James *Emilie de Ravin as Belle *Colin O'Donoghue as Hook *Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills *Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood/Ruby *Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold Guest Starring *Michael Raymond-James as Baelfire/Neal Cassidy *Ethan Embry as Greg Mendell *Beverley Elliot as Granny *Jamie Dornan as The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham *Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper *Tony Amendola as Geppetto/Marco *Jarod Joseph as Gus/Billy *John Pyper-Ferguson as Kurt Flynn *Benjamin James Stockham as Owen Flynn Trivia Production Notes= *The title card features a tree falling on Kurt's car. *The title of this episode was leaked by Vancity Filming via their Twitter account on January 30, 2013, and officially announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on January 31, 2013. *This episode shares its name with the first chapter of the Once Upon a Time novel, Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale, by Odette Beane. *This is the first episode to only be set in Storybrooke. *The different color treatment for the present day scenes and the 1983 flashback scenes, was added to help the audience tell the two stories apart. *The funeral scene inside Regina's vault, was originally meant to take place outside, in the Storybrooke Graveyard. *The scenes where Mary Margaret gives the exact same lesson at school, again and again, day after day, is a mixture of archive footage from the "Pilot", and new footage filmed inside a studio, since the location that doubles as the Storybrooke Elementary School was not available for filming. *The scene at the Marine Garage, originally opened with a sequence where Billy shows Ruby a Chevrolet Camaro he is working on. It was the origin of Ruby's car. The sequence was cut for time. *A sequence where Sheriff Graham's glove compartment was full of Hall & Oates tapes got cut from the episode.